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From Fiji Times (24 March 2025) Rotuma faces waste crisis By Elena Vucukula An urgent call has been made by the people of Rotuma to relook at the impact of improper waste management on the island. Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF) founder Amitesh Deo revealed this at a roundtable discussion in Nadi when asked on the organisation's plans for rural areas and outer islands in need of proper waste management services. "Rotuma was never going to be something that we wanted to sort of trial because it was so far away," Mr Deo said "But there has been an urgent call out from the community for us to bring solutions there because they can actually see and experience the impact of improper waste management on the island." Mr Deo said it was not an easy problem to solve the waste management of those in the outer islands. "That is a very pressing issue about the waste management issues on the outer islands. "Part of our movement calls on government agencies, development partners and our partners to look at the waste management crisis beyond the privileged communities and urban centres and how do we provide solutions to rural areas and to outer islands, so it is part of the equation. "It is not an easy problem to solve." From International Olympic Committee (17 March 2025) Dr Robin E. Mitchell appointed as Chair of the IOC's Health, Dr Robin E. Mitchell, a former Fiji national representative in athletics and hockey and a national hockey coach, has been appointed as Chair of the IOC Health, Medicine and Science Commission.
© IOC/Greg Martin In his role as an IOC Member, he represents and promotes the interests of the IOC and those of the Olympic Movement, in particular in the field of sports sciences, to position the IOC as the reference in sports medicine, through education, research and partnerships, with the ultimate goal of protecting and promoting athlete health. Additionally, the Safe Sport Regional Hub Initiative will benefit from Dr Mitchell's expertise in the Pacific Islands region, where one of the pilot Safe Sport Hubs is being established. By working closely with sports organisations, governments and civil society, the hubs will facilitate access to localised care, guidance and support for those affected by interpersonal violence in sport, and will help to strengthen safeguarding through sport - driving long-term change from the local level. Dr Mitchell took up his post on 1 January 2025, succeeding Prof. Uğur Erdener, who had led the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission since 2014. Dr Mitchell was a family medicine practitioner and a Fiji team physician at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and South Pacific Games. He first joined the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) as a member of its Medical Commission, becoming ONOC President in 2009 and then Acting President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in 2018. Dr Mitchell has extensive experience in the field of sports medicine, having been a member of several medical commissions, including World Athletics, the International Hockey Federation and the ANOC Medical Commission. He also represented the IOC on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Foundation Board. From Fiji Times via Pressreader (18 March 2025) Poor roads hinder travelers in Rotuma By Shayal Devi STUDENTS on Rotuma are still missing school as poor road conditions are yet to be fixed. As a result, the Council of Rotuma has requested for an end to road woes by implementing a regular maintenance program for the island's road networks. Council adviser Dr John Fatiaki said they had met with Public Works Minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau to raise their concerns. He said the ministry would send a Public Works Department (PWD) team with appropriate machinery before the end of this month to commence road work repairs and maintenance on the island's main road. Dr Fatiaki said the team would remain on site until all works were completed to the satisfaction of civil engineers and other experts. Following the meeting, he said it was also decided that upon the completion of works, some machinery would remain at the depot on the island for continued maintenance works. He said they also aimed to reach an agreement between the council, ministry, and Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) about the continued maintenance of Rotuma's roads. "The council will assist the PWD personnel in any way that they can during their time on the island." Earlier, Ro Filipe had said there was a need to improve services, and he was looking at changes to ensure that maintenance was on time with adequate scope and resources. From Fiji Sun via Pressreader (6 March 2025) Bridging Tradition, Modernity at Women's Expo By Sosiveta Korobiau In rural maritime areas, cultural practices are slowly fading, making it harder for elders like Fuata Maraama of Rotuma to pass on traditional knowledge to younger generations. Ms Maraama, who traveled from Rotuma to Suva for the National Women's Expo, found comfort and a sense of belong≠ing among fellow artisans at the Vodafone Arena. "This is my first time at the expo, something I've always dreamed of back on the island, where we're limited to only a few events to showcase our goods," said Ms Maraama. "Being part of this event reminds me of the rich and diverse culture we have as a small nation. Despite our size, we continue to make strides, creating opportunities for families to live stable lives." However, she said that the real challenge lies on the island, where teaching young girls traditional practices is becoming increasingly difficult due to the pressures of modernisation. "Back on the island, we're trying to teach our young girls traditional skills, hut modernisation is slowly seeping into our homes, making it harder to preserve our ways," Maraama added. Ms Maraama and her family have benefited from the income generated through the crafts she has been making since childhood. Crafting has provided a source of income for me and my family, helping us overcome the difficulties we face back on the island," she said. She emphasised that, even after years of working with limited resources, she has never regretted her path.
From Fiji Times (5 March 2025) Bad roads in Rotuma affect students By Shayal Devi
Two students escaped injuries on Rotuma when the truck they were travelling in hit a pothole, resulting in them being tossed out of the vehicle. As a result, truck drivers on the island have stopped their operations until the roads are fixed, forcing as many as 300 students to be kept away from school. Council of Rotuma advisor Dr John Fatiaki summed up the situation, saying the kids were being punished through no fault of theirs. Referring to the long standing issue, Dr Fatiaki, the 2006 senator for Rotuma, said that initially the Public Works Department (PWD) looked after the maintenance of roads on the island, a responsibility which later fell to the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA). He said the PWD depot on Rotuma had between 12 and 13 staff members who were equipped with machinery to regularly maintain the road network, but the FRA replaced the PWD with about five to six staff. "The roads were passable. They had machinery, they had a grader, a dump truck and a JCB (loader)," Dr Fatiaki said. "And they maintained the roads until January last year when — and this is where our problem really begins — they essentially withdrew from the island. "So, from January last year, they haven't had any full-time staff. They've had one or two caretakers that would look after the premises but essentially, two people with spades can't maintain the roads." Dr Fatiaki said Flame Tree staff then came to the island to work on the airstrip, contracted by Fiji Airports, and at the time Public Works Minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau also visited the island. He said Flame Tree was engaged to fix the roads and within two weeks, the roads had reverted back to normal. "That was in September. "We asked the ministry at that point to look at a constant maintenance program, which means you need to have people working on the road pretty much every day on a constant basis around the island. "You can't leave it for three or six months and hope that you'll put a band aid on it." However, Dr Fatiaki said the weather deteriorated and no work was carried out on the maintenance of the roads, thus, these were washed away during heavy rain, resulting in potholes as deep as three feet. "Obviously, when vehicles go through, they obviously swerve into it and there's damage to parts of the smaller vehicles, and my understanding is the trucks, which transport the students, one swerved into these potholes. "I think two of the kids in the back, either physically fell out or jumped out of the truck. I think when that happened, the drivers of the trucks decided collectively they couldn't run the risk of driving through that. "Since last Monday, they have ceased transporting the kids. That becomes an issue because now, the kids are being punished and my understanding is that for the last two weeks, the kids that require transport to the one secondary school on the island, other than the ones who live next door to the school, are not attending school." When approached for comment yesterday, Ro Filipe said he was aware of the issue and that a team had been dispatched with the required equipment. "The boat was diverted because of the cyclone," he said. "So, they will be there next week." The minister said he would meet with the Council of Rotuma chairman and Dr Fatiaki to hear out their concerns. Education Minister Aseri Radrodro also expressed his concerns about the students missing school. "I requested the honourable Minister for his intervention on the stand taken by transport providers due to poor road conditions," he said. "We plead with all stakeholders to understand that they play a very important role in ensuring that students attend school." |
